ARTICLE: 5 In-demand Soft Skills to Look for When Hiring New Talent

While it may be easy to
find someone with sound technical skills matching a profile like language
proficiency or programming, it is scanning for intangible soft skills in a new
hire that gives recruiters a hard time. These soft skills are a major game
changer because it determines whether the employee will survive or fit into a
dynamic work culture.

Pooja Kamat, Head of Content Development, Work Better

Here are a few soft skills
that you as a recruiter must look for when interviewing candidates because a
healthy balance between business knowledge and soft skills can go a long way in
an organisation’s success.

Is flexible and enthusiastic

Being flexible and
adaptable is an asset because it’s a sign that no matter which situation you
put such employees in, they will fine tune accordingly and give it their best
shot. They are generally not scared of being thrown out of their comfort zone,
which also ups their dependability quotient. Give them a hypothetical situation
to identify their level of enthusiasm. Should they fake it you’ll know and if
it they are consistent in their response you know they’re a perfect hire.

Willing to take initiative and lead with a
problem-solving approach

When you interview
prospects, make it look like a discussion and that you want to know them beyond
their degrees and certificates. Talk about their past experiences and gauge how
much of an initiative-taker they are and whether they like to lead and not just
follow. Ask them to cite instances where they had to lead and analyse their
approach. Of course you may not necessarily be hiring for a manager position
always, but you can surely identify potential for later.

Self-awareness

‘What are your strengths
and limitations’ may be the most often asked question, but be sure to frame it
differently. Ask them what their work style is like. Do they like to
collaborate and enjoy working with teams or prefer doing everything on their
own. They will naturally hint on how they function better which obviously
reveals how self-aware they are. Look for consistency by checking how in the
past their peers rated their working style and whether they think there’s scope
to improve or what can help them improve.

Has no sense of bloated ego

Ask candidates to narrate
experiences that have been rewarding and also a few that they think were
mistakes they aren’t proud of. Delve deeper and find out why they went wrong
and what they could have done (in retrospect) that will help them avoid such situations
in future. Find out what they felt when they were reviewed for their work by
superiors. Did they take their feedback (constructive or not) in the right
spirit or are they focused on making statements like ‘I did what was right’.
The latter should be an indicator that they have ego issues and may not take
feedback seriously. Ask them to define a good manager (they’re likely to define
the kind of manager they’d like to become). Ask for their opinion on sharing
credit with the team. This will open a window to their notion of self.

Inquisitive and hungry to learn

Towards the end of the
interview, most times candidates shy away from asking questions about the
company they’re being hired for even when they are asked to. While some
recruiters may think it is ok, others think that asking questions is a genuine
sign of their inquisitiveness. Probing questions on work culture, team
hierarchy (vertical and lateral), growth opportunities, work from home setup,
trainings (onsite and offsite) and mid-year and annual review criteria show
they are interested in knowing how the firm works. The way you judge their
potential, they too are figuring out if they will fit in, and grow or not.

If
you are an employment seeker, you may have by now got an insight into what hirers
look for and also why despite your excellent technical skill sets you often
face rejection. Get your answers ready to such questions and it’s is likely
that you may clinch your next opportunity in no time.